Digital television signal for receiving PSIP data, method of processing digital television signal, and digital television receiver

ABSTRACT

A digital television signal for receiving program and system information protocol (PSIP) data, a method for processing the digital television signal, and a digital television receiver are disclosed. The digital television signal used in the digital television receiver in order to receive a program system information protocol (PSIP) data from a broadcast transmitter includes a rating region table containing the PSIP data. Herein, the rating region table includes a global rating value field defining a global rating value which is valid for all graphical rating regions, a rating region field defining a specific graphical rating region to be associated with the rating region table, and at least one local rating value field identifying a local rating value which is valid for the specific graphical rating region only.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/591,555filed Nov. 23, 2009; which is a continuation of Ser. No. 11/376,295filed on Mar. 16, 2006 (now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,653,922); whichclaims the benefit of Korean application no. 10-2006-009006 filed onJan. 27, 2006, all the applications which are incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a digital television receiver, and moreparticularly, to a digital television signal for receiving program andsystem information protocol (PSIP) data, a method for processing thedigital television signal, and a digital television receiver. Althoughthe present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, itis particularly suitable for providing users with a wider range ofbroadcast program rating options regardless of the location of thedigital television receiver.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Generally, a digital broadcast system refers to a system that uses aspecific compression algorithm, such as a hybrid encoding algorithm, inorder to compress and transmit digital video and audio data and thatrecovers the compressed and transmitted video and audio data back totheir initial state, so as to provide diverse information to theviewers. The transmitted data that is included in the digital televisionsignal includes the above-described compression encoded video and audiodata. The transmitted data further includes diverse control data formanaging and controlling operations of the digital television signal.

More specifically, the digital television signal provided in the digitalbroadcast system broadly includes two types of data: broadcast programdata and program and system information protocol (PSIP) data. Forexample, the program data refers to a television program which atelevision network company provides to its subscribed viewers. Suchprogram data includes various types of data including video data, audiodata, caption data, and so on. The PSIP data includes modulation type,carrier frequency, packet identification (ID) information fordemultiplexing the video and audio data from a packet stream that istransmitted in a carrier signal channel, program guide information(i.e., information including program title, program starting time, briefadditional information, etc.), caption service, program rating, presenttime information, and so on, for each channel in order to normallyreceive the channel for each broadcast program.

Therefore, when a specific digital broadcast channel is selected, thedigital television receiver is tuned to the corresponding broadcastchannel. Then, the digital television receiver separates the PSIP datafrom the packet stream, which is stored in an internal memory. Then, thedigital television receiver demultiplexes the video and audio data byusing the stored PSIP data. Furthermore, the digital television receiveruses a plurality of information table included in the PSIP data, so asto provide the users with a program guidance service providing briefadditional information on the TV broadcast program, presence of acaption service, program rating, and schedule of the corresponding TVbroadcast program.

More specifically, according to the digital broadcast system standards,a PSIP data table which is inserted in the digital television signal andtransmitted therethrough includes rating region table (RRT) data.Herein, the RRT data includes information corresponding to the regioncode used in a rating system (RS), region name, number of RS used in thecorresponding region, name of each RS, and so on. In other words, theRRT indicates rating information of a broadcast program corresponding tomultiple geographical rating regions. For example, in a digitaltelevision receiver used in the United States (US), when broadcastprograms that can be viewed by viewers over age 14 (i.e., ParentalGuidance (PG-13) rated programs) are blocked, the programs correspondingto this rating are not outputted to the screen of the receiver.

However, the related art method of using the RRT data for setting upratings for digital broadcast programs has the following problems. Inthe related art method, the program ratings are defined by regions, andthe related art RRT only includes a fixed set of data. Therefore, as awider range of digital broadcast programs are being newly produced,there are limitations in categorizing the programs based only on a fixedset of rating standards. Furthermore, if the contents of the RRT aredecided based on the current geographical rating regions in which thedigital television receiver is used, the RRT pre-programmed in thememory of the digital television receiver can no longer be used once thereceiver is moved to a different region.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a digital televisionsignal for receiving program and system information protocol (PSIP)data, a method for processing the digital television signal, and adigital television receiver that substantially obviate one or moreproblems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide a digital televisionsignal for receiving program and system information protocol (PSIP)data, a method for processing the digital television signal, and adigital television receiver that can diversify the rating standards fordigital broadcast programs, so as to provide users (or viewers) withmore convenient options.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a digitaltelevision signal for receiving program and system information protocol(PSIP) data, a method for processing the digital television signal, anda digital television receiver that can arrange ratings of broadcastprograms regardless of the geographical rating region in which thereceiver is used, thereby allowing the user to view the programs withouthaving to change the settings each time the digital television receiveris displaced to a different region (i.e., country).

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will beset forth in part in the description which follows and in part willbecome apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following or may be learned from practice of theinvention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may berealized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in thewritten description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, adigital television signal for use in a digital television receiver toreceive program and system information protocol (PSIP) data from abroadcast transmitter includes a rating region table containing the PSIPdata. Herein, the rating region table includes a global rating valuefield defining a global rating value which is valid for all geographicalrating regions, a rating region field defining a specific geographicalrating region to be associated with the rating region table, and atleast one local rating value field identifying a local rating valuewhich is valid for the specific geographical rating region only.

In another aspect of the present invention, a digital television signalfor use in a digital television receiver to receive program and systeminformation protocol (PSIP) data from a broadcast transmitter, includesa rating region table containing the PSIP data, wherein the ratingregion table includes a table identification (ID) extension field whichserves to establish uniqueness of the rating region table, the table IDextension field including a rating region field which defines a globalrating value which is valid for all geographical rating regions.

In another aspect of the present invention, a method of processing adigital television signal in a digital television receiver includesreceiving a digital television signal including a broadcast program anda rating region table, the rating region table including a global ratingvalue field defining a global rating value which is valid for allgeographical rating regions, and blocking display of the broadcastprogram based upon a comparison between the global rating value and auser-selected criterion.

In a further aspect of the present invention, a digital televisionreceiver includes a tuner arranged to receive a digital televisionsignal, a demodulator arranged to demodulate the digital televisionsignal, a demultiplexer arranged to demultiplex a broadcast program anda rating region table from the digital television signal demodulatedfrom the demodulator, a decoder arranged to parse the rating regiontable, the parsed rating region table including a global rating valuefield defining a global rating value which is valid for all geographicalrating regions, and a controller arranged to block display of thebroadcast program based upon a comparison between the global ratingvalue and a user selected criterion.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the present invention areexemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide furtherexplanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a first example of a bit stream syntax of a ratingregion table (RRT) according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a second example of a bit stream syntax of a ratingregion table (RRT) according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a third example of a bit stream syntax of a ratingregion table (RRT) according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a set of meanings corresponding to“newly_defined_rating” field values;

FIG. 5 illustrates another example of a set of meanings corresponding to“newly_defined_rating” field values;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a “newly_defined_rating” field valuebeing redefined according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a screen selecting a specific RRT amonga plurality of RRT data according to the present invention; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram showing the structure of a digitaltelevision receiver according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

In the present invention, either different broadcast program ratinginformation may be used depending upon region/country (or local/globalregions), or the same broadcast program rating information may be usedfor all regions. Thus, the present invention is advantageous for itscompatibility and also for being able to provide a multi-level criterionfor the broadcast program rating. For a clearer understanding of thepresent invention, four different embodiments of the present inventionwill be described herein in detail. The first embodiment describes amethod of defining a new broadcast program rating to an RRT; the secondembodiment describes a table showing an example of the new broadcastprogram rating information; the third embodiment describes a set-upscreen for blocking a specific broadcast program based on the newbroadcast program rating; and the fourth embodiment describes a digitaltelevision receiver receiving the RRT and blocking the specificbroadcast program accordingly.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 illustrates a first example of a bit stream syntax of a ratingregion table (RRT) according to the present invention. FIG. 2illustrates a second example of a bit stream syntax of a rating regiontable (RRT) according to the present invention. And, FIG. 3 illustratesa third example of a bit stream syntax of a rating region table (RRT)according to the present invention. Hereinafter, a method of defining anew broadcast program rating to a rating region table (RRT) will now bedescribed in detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. Furthermore, inorder to simplify the description of the first embodiment of the presentinvention, each field name of the syntax will be marked with quotationmarks (e.g., “XXX_YYY_ZZZ”).

Referring to FIG. 1, a “global_rating_value” field may be added in aheader part of the RRT. Herein, the “global_rating_value” field isdefined regardless of the graphicalgeographical rating regioninformation of the digital television receiver. The“global_rating_value” field also indicates the rating information of abroadcast program with more detail and diversity. The field valuesaccording to the rating information will be described later on in thesecond embodiment of the present invention. Herein, the field name“global_rating_value” is only an exemplary name, and all of the fieldsincluding the above-mentioned description are within the scope of thepresent invention.

Other fields configuring the above-mentioned syntax will now bedescribed. A “table_id” is allocated with 8 bits (i.e., an 8-bit field)and may be set to have a 0xCA value, which indicates that thecorresponding table is an RRT. A “section_syntax_indicator” is allocatedwith 1 bit (i.e., a 1-bit field) and its value may be set to ‘1’. Thisdenotes that the “section_syntax_indicator” section follows a genericsection syntax beyond a “section_length” field. A “private_indicator” isallocated with 1 bit (i.e., a 1-bit field) and may be set to ‘1’. A“section length” is allocated with 12 bits (i.e., a 12-bit field) andindicates the number of bytes remaining in this section. Herein, thevalue of the “section_length” field is no larger than 1021.

A “table_id_extension” field is a 16-bit field and is table-dependent.This field may be considered to be logically part of the “table_id”field, which provides the scope for the remaining fields. A“rating_region” field is an 8-bit field and is indicated by an unsignedinteger, which defines a rating region that is related with the text ina corresponding “rating_region_table_section( )”. A “version number”field is a 5-bit field. This is a version number of an RRT that isdifferentiated by a combination of the “table_id” field and the“table_id_extension” field. A “current_nextindicator” field is a 1-bitfield and is set to ‘1’. A “section number” field is an 8-bit field andis set to ‘0x00’. A “last_section_number” field is an 8-bit field and isset to ‘0x00’. A “protocol_version” field is an 8-bit field and is setto ‘0x00’.

A “rating_region_name_length” field is allocated with 8 bits and isindicated with an unsigned integer, which defines a total length (bytes)of a “rating_region_name text( )” field that is to follow. The“rating_region_name_text( )” field is a data structure including amultiple string structure which indicates a rating region name that isrelated with a value given by the “rating_region” field. For example,the above-described rating region name may be ‘US (50states+possessions)’.

A “dimensions_defined” field is an 8-bit field indicating a number ofdimensions defined in a corresponding “rating_region_table_section( )”“dimension_name_length” field is indicated with an unsigned integer,which defines a total length (bytes) of a “dimension_name_textQ” fieldthat is to follow. The “dimension_name_text( )” field is a datastructure including a multiple string structure which indicates adimension name described in a corresponding loop.

A “graduated scale” field is a 1-bit field defining whether ratingvalues of a corresponding dimension indicates a graduated scale. A“values_defined” field is a 4-bit field denoting a number of valuesdefined for the corresponding specific dimension. An“abbrev_rating_value_length” field is an 8-bit field and is indicatedwith an unsigned integer, which defines a total length (bytes) of an“abbrev_rating_value_text( )” field that is to follow. The“abbrev_rating_value_text( )” field is a data structure including amultiple string structure which indicates an abbreviated name for aspecific rating value.

A “rating_value_length” field is an 8-bit field and is indicated with anunsigned integer, which defines a total length (bytes) of a“rating_value_text( )” field that is to follow. The “rating_value_text()” field is a data structure including a multiple string structure whichindicates a full name for a specific rating value. A“descriptors_length” field indicates the length (bytes) of alldescriptors following the corresponding field. And, 0 or moredescriptors may be included in a “descriptor( )” field.

Accordingly, the “global_rating_value” field and the “rating_region”field are included in the rating region table (RRT) according to thepresent invention, which includes the program and system informationprotocol (PSIP) data. The “global_rating_value” field is used forindicating broadcast program rating information that is valid in allregions. The “rating_region” field defines the information on a specificregion to which the broadcast program rating is applied.

Moreover, depending upon the value of the “rating_region” field, thevalues of the fields under the “rating_region” field may be varied. Thefields under the “rating_region” field may include broadcast programrating information that is valid only in specific regions. Furthermore,each of the fields under the “rating_region” field may be referred to asa ‘local rating value’ field. Therefore, the ‘local rating value’ fieldincludes broadcast program rating information that is valid only inspecific regions, whereas the broadcast program rating information thatis valid in all regions.

The ‘local rating value’ field consists of at least one field. Herein,the ‘local rating value’ field may include a ‘multiple string structure’indicating ‘an abbreviated name of the local rating value’ or include a‘multiple string structure’ indicating ‘a full name of the local ratingvalue’. Alternatively, the ‘local rating value’ field may also includeboth a ‘multiple string structure’ indicating ‘an abbreviated name ofthe local rating value’ and a ‘multiple string structure’ indicating ‘afull name of the local rating value’.

Referring to FIG. 2, a “global_rating_value” field may be added in aheader part the RRT. Herein, the “global_rating_value” field is definedregardless of the geographical rating region information of the digitaltelevision receiver. The “global_rating_value” field also indicates therating information of a broadcast program with more detail anddiversity. The field values according to the rating information will bedescribed later on in the second embodiment of the present invention.

The difference between the “global_rating value” field of FIG. 1 and the“global_rating_value” field of FIG. 2 is that the “table_id_extension”field is included in the “global_rating_value” field defined in FIG. 2.Moreover, the field name “global_rating_value” field is only anexemplary name, and all of the fields including the above-mentioneddescription are within the scope of the present invention. Further,referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, by positioning the “global_rating_value”field in the header part of the RRT instead of the body part, thedecoding rate of the RRT may be enhanced.

Referring to FIG. 3, from the header part of the RRT, an 8-bit“rating_region” field is used to define a new broadcast program ratinginformation to the RRT. In the specification of the present inventionincluding the detailed description and claims, the terms “information”and “code” are used. Herein, the term “information” may be used as aconcept (e.g., dimension, level, etc.) including a meaning thatcorresponds to each field value. The term “code” may be used as aconcept referring to the field value itself or to a descriptor of theRRT.

The “rating_region” field is allocated with 8 bits. The “rating_region”field is pre-programmed to indicate ‘US (50 states+possessions)’ whenthe field value is ‘0x01’, ‘Canada’ when the field value is ‘0x02’,‘Taiwan’ when the field value is ‘0x03’, and ‘Korea’ when the fieldvalue is ‘0x04’. The remaining field values starting from ‘0x05’ to‘0xFF’ are not used. Therefore, part of these field values is defined tobe used for a different purpose.

For example, the RRT may be newly defined so that, when the field valueof the “rating_region” field is ‘0x05’, the RRT may indicate a broadcastprogram rating information applicable to (or valid for) all regionsregardless of the specific region or country, instead of indicating abroadcast program rating information that is limited to a specificregion or country (i.e., US, Canada, Taiwan, and Korea). Herein, thefield value ‘0x05’ is only exemplary and may also be selectedarbitrarily from ‘0x06’ to ‘0xFF’. Furthermore, in case the field valueof the “rating_region” field is ‘0x05’, the example of the newly definedRRT will be described in the second embodiment of the present invention.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a set of meanings corresponding to“newly_defined_rating” field values. FIG. 5 illustrates another exampleof a set of meanings corresponding to “newly_defined_rating” fieldvalues. And, FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a “newly_defined_rating”field value being redefined according to the present invention.Hereinafter, detailed rating information of a broadcast program, whichis decided in accordance with a field value, will now be described withreference to FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6. More specifically, thedescription of FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 will be matched with FIG. 1,FIG. 2, and FIG. 3, respectively.

When using the “global_rating_value” field described in FIG. 1, sincethe “global_rating_value” field is allocated with 2 bits, a maximum of 4types of broadcast program rating information may be included in thefield. Evidently, a larger number of bits may be allocated to the“global_rating_value” field. However, in this case, already existingregulations must be modified. Furthermore, problems of compatibilitywith the already existing system may also occur. Therefore, in thepresent invention, the number of bits allocated to the“global_rating_value” field will be limited to 2 bits.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the value of the “global_rating_value” field is‘0’, the rating of the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘not at alleducational’. When the “global_rating_value” field value is ‘1’, thebroadcast program may be indicated as ‘slightly educational’. When the“global_rating_value” field value is ‘2’, the broadcast program may beindicated as ‘moderately educational’. When the “global_rating_value”field value is ‘3’, the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘veryeducational’. In the above description, the ratings of the broadcastprogram are set based on the level of educational content, which ismerely an example. The ratings may also be set based on other criteria,such as humorous content, musical content, violent content, sexualcontent, abusive content, and so on.

When using the “global_rating_value” field described in FIG. 2, sincethe “global_rating_value” field is allocated with 8 bits, a maximum of256 types of broadcast program rating information may be included in thefield. Evidently, a larger number of bits may be allocated to the“global_rating_value” field. However, in this case, already existingregulations must be modified. Furthermore, problems of compatibilitywith the already existing system may also occur. Therefore, in thepresent invention, the number of bits allocated to the“global_rating_value” field will be limited to 8 bits.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the value of the “global rating_value” field is‘0x00’, the rating of the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘not atall educational’. When the “global_rating_value” field value is ‘0x01’,the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘slightly educational’. Whenthe “global_rating_value” field value is ‘0x02’, the broadcast programmay be indicated as ‘moderately educational’. When the “globalrating_value” field value is ‘0x03’, the broadcast program may beindicated as ‘very educational’.

When the value of the “global rating value” field is ‘0x10’, the ratingof the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘not at all humorous’. Whenthe “global_reating_value” field value is ‘0x11’, the broadcast programmay be indicated as ‘slightly humorous’. When the “global_rating_value”field value is ‘0x12’, the broadcast program may be indicated as‘moderately humorous’. When the “global_rating_value” field value is‘0x13’, the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘very humorous’.

When the value of the “global_rating_value” field is ‘0x20’, the ratingof the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘not at all musical’. Whenthe “global_rating_value” field value is ‘0x21’, the broadcast programmay be indicated as ‘slightly musical’. When the “global_rating_value”field value is ‘0x22’, the broadcast program may be indicated as‘moderately musical’. When the “global_rating_value” field value is‘0x23’, the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘very musical’.

When the value of the “global_rating_value” field is ‘0x30’, the ratingof the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘not at all violent’. Whenthe “global_rating_value” field value is ‘0x31’, the broadcast programmay be indicated as ‘slightly violent’. When the “global_rating_value”field value is ‘0x32’, the broadcast program may be indicated as‘moderately violent’. When the “global_rating_value” field value is‘0x33’, the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘very violent’.

When the value of the “global_rating_value” field is ‘0x40’, the ratingof the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘not at all sexual’. Whenthe “global_rating_value” field value is ‘0x41’, the broadcast programmay be indicated as ‘slight sexual’. When the “global_rating_value”filed value is ‘0x42’, the broadcast program may be indicated as‘moderately sexual’. When the “global_rating_value” field value is‘0x43’, the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘very sexual’.

When the value of the “global_rating_value” field is ‘0x50’, the ratingof the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘not at all abusive’. Whenthe “global_rating_value” field value is ‘0x51’, the broadcast programmay be indicated as ‘slightly abusive’. When the “global_rating_value”field value is ‘0x52’, the broadcast program may be indicated as‘moderately abusive’. When the “global_rating_value” field value is‘0x53’, the broadcast program may be indicated as ‘very abusive’.

Evidently, the above-described rating details are only exemplary, anddifferent types of broadcast program rating information may be set inaccordance with the requirements of the user. Unlike FIG. 4, a largernumber of bits may be used in FIG. 5. Therefore, this example isadvantageous in that a wider range of broadcast program rating standardsmay be arranged. Furthermore, since each standard of the broadcastprogram rating shown in FIG. 5 is independent from one another, either abroadcast program may be pre-set to be blocked in accordance with allstandards, or a broadcast program may be pre-set to be blocked inaccordance with only a selection of standards. For example, when theuser programs the digital television receiver to block all broadcastprograms rated as ‘not at all educational’, the “global rating_value”field blocks only the broadcast programs set to have a ‘0x00’ value anddoes not consider any of the other standards.

However, when the user wishes to set up ratings of a broadcast programin order to block the programs corresponding to all 6 standards shown inFIG. 5, the user must store (or pre-program) all of the field valueranges for each standard in the memory of the digital televisionreceiver. Accordingly, the television receiver refers to the standardsstored in the memory so as to verify the rating information of abroadcast program that is being received by the television receiver. Ifthe received broadcast program corresponds to any of the storedstandards, the television receiver does not output (or blocks) thecorresponding broadcast program. Further, as mentioned above in thedescription of FIG. 3, when the “rating_region” field is used as diversebroadcast program rating information applicable to (or valid for) allregions, instead of being used as broadcast program rating informationfor specific region/country only, e.g., when the field value of“rating_region” is ‘5’, as shown in FIG. 6, the RRT may be reconfigured.However, the actual RRT is omitted in FIG. 6.

In addition, when a dynamic RRT according to the present invention isconfigured in a single table, a “reserved” field may be used, as shownin FIG. 1 or FIG. 2. Alternatively, when a dynamic RRT according to thepresent invention is configured in two or more tables, the“rating_region” field may be used, as shown in FIG. 3. For example, whenthe value of the “rating_region” field is ‘5’, as shown in FIG. 6, the“rating_region_name” field may indicate either ‘global rating value’ or‘dynamic rating’. In other words, a new RRT applicable in (or valid for)all regions can be defined, instead of the original RRT that is appliedin specific countries only. The “rating_region_name” field may indicatethe United States (US), as shown in FIG. 6. However, such naming isclearly different from that of the related art in that the broadcastprogram rating according to the present invention is more diversified.

The “dimensions_defined” field may have the value of ‘2’, whichindicates that 2 rating dimensions or rating standards are included. Inthe example shown in FIG. 6, ‘E/I Ratings’ and ‘TV Smarts’ are-used asthe names for the rating dimension or standard. When the name of the“dimension name” field is ‘E/I Ratings’, the “values_defined” field isset to a “values_defined” field is ‘1’, this indicates that thebroadcast program is rated as an Educational/Informational (E/I) programviewable by viewers of all ages (i.e., E/I all ages). When the value ofthe “values_defined” field is ‘2’, this indicates that the broadcastprogram is rated as an Educational/Informational (E/I) program viewableby viewers of age 3 and older (i.e., E/I ages 3+).

When the value of the “values_defined” field is ‘3’, this indicates thatthe broadcast program is rated as an Educational/Informational (E/I)program viewable by viewers of age 7 and older (i.e., E/I ages 7+). Whenthe value of the “values_defined” field is ‘4’, this indicates that thebroadcast program is rated as an Educational/Informational (E/I) programviewable by viewers of age 10 and older (i.e., E/I ages 10+). And, whenthe value of the “values_defined” field is ‘5’, this indicates that thebroadcast program is rated as an Educational/Informational (E/I) programviewable by viewers of age 13 and older (i.e., E/I ages 13+).

On the other hand, when the name of the “dimension name” field is ‘TVSmarts’, the “values_defined” field is set to a 3-level rating standard.For example, when the value of the “values_defined” field is ‘1’, thisindicates that the broadcast program is rated as a program viewable byelementary school students and older (i.e., Elementary). When the valueof the “values_defined” field is ‘2’, this indicates that the broadcastprogram is rated as a program viewable by middle school students andolder (i.e., Middle School). And, when the value of the “values_defined”field is ‘3’, this indicates that the broadcast program is rated as aprogram viewable by high school students and older (i.e., High School).

Third Embodiment

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a screen selecting a specific RRT amonga plurality of RRT data according to the present invention. Hereinafter,a display screen either for setting up broadcast programs to be blockedin accordance with the new broadcast program rating standard or forusing the existing global (or country-based) rating of a broadcastprogram will now be described with reference to FIG. 6.

As described in the first and second embodiments of the presentinvention, the RRT according to the present invention may be configuredeither by using the “global rating value” field or by using an unused(or reserved) value (e.g., ‘0x05’, etc.) of the “rating_region” field.Herein, the existing global (or country-based) broadcast program ratinginformation (e.g., when the values of the “rating_region” field are‘0x01’, ‘0x02’, ‘0x03’, and ‘0x04’) may be used, or a new user-selectedbroadcast program rating standard applicable in all regions may be setup (or programmed).

Therefore, when a menu screen for setting up (or programming) thebroadcast programs that are to be blocked is first displayed onto thescreen of the receiver, as shown in FIG. 7, another menu screen isdisplayed in order to verify whether the user will be using the existingbroadcast program rating standards designated by each country (i.e., theglobal standards). At this point, the user may choose to use thebroadcast program rating standards designated by each country as theyare, or the user may choose to use different rating standards. If theuser chooses not to use the already existing rating standards (i.e., ifthe user selects the menu for programming a new broadcast program ratingstandard), a menu inquiring which criteria the user will be using toprogram the new rating standard(s) is displayed on the screen.

More specifically, as described in the second embodiment of the presentinvention, the new standard may include the levels of educationalcontent, humorous content, musical content, and so on. In other words,the new rating standard may include at least one multi-level criterion.Thereafter, based on the new rating standard, a signal deciding whichtype of rating is to be selected is inputted. For example, when thedisplayed menu screen verifies that an arbitrary user chooses not to usethe already existing broadcast program rating information designated byeach country (i.e., when the user selects a menu for setting (orprogramming) a new broadcast program rating standard), and when the userselects the educational criterion as the new rating standard, and, morespecifically, when the digital television is programmed to output (ordisplay) only the programs that are very educational, other broadcastprograms that are rated as ‘not at all (educational)’, ‘slightly(educational)’, and ‘moderately (educational)’ are blocked.

Fourth Embodiment

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram showing the structure of a digitaltelevision receiver according to the present invention. Hereinafter, adigital television receiver receiving the RRT according to the presentinvention, thereby blocking specific broadcast programs will now bedescribed in detail. However, the fourth embodiment of the presentinvention is to describe how the first, second and third embodiments areconfigured and executed in the digital television receiver. Therefore, adetailed description of the fourth embodiment will be omitted forsimplicity of the description. Reference can be made to the descriptionsof the first, second and third embodiments of the present invention fora better understanding of the fourth embodiment.

A broadcast receiver 801 includes a tuner 802, a demodulator 803, ademultiplexer 804, an A/V decoder 805, a display 806, a PSUPSIP database807, a PSI/PSIP decoder 808, an application controller 811, a channelmanager 809, a channel map 810, a flash memory 812, and a non-volatilememory 813. Herein, for example, the broadcast receiver 801 may be adigital television receiver (DTV) which can receive digital broadcastprograms. The tuner 802 receives a digital television signal including aprogram and system information/program and system information protocol(PSUPSIP) table. Herein, the PSIP table includes a rating region table(RRT). And, the operations of the tuner 802 may be controlled by thechannel manager 809.

The tuner 802 can record the result that received the digital televisionsignal in the channel manager 809. The demodulator 803 demodulates thetuned signal received from the tuner 802 to a vestigal sideband/enhanced vestigal side band (VSB/EVSB) signal. The demultiplexer804 demultiplexes the demodulated signal received from the demodulator803 to audio data, video data, and PSUPSIP table data. Thedemultiplexing of the audio/video data may be controlled by the channelmanager 809. On the other hand, the demultiplexing of the PSUPSIP tabledata may be controlled by the PSI/PSIP decoder 808. The demultiplexedPSI/PSIP table is transmitted to the PSI/PSIP decoder 808, and thedemultiplexed audio/video data are transmitted to the A/V decoder 805.Thereafter, the A/V decoder 805 decodes the received data.

The PSUPSIP decoder 808 parses a PSI/PSIP section and reads allremaining actual section data parts which the demultiplexer 804 did notfilter during the section filtering, thereby recording the data in thePSUPSIP database 807. More specifically, among the data recorded in thePSUPSIP database 807, information such as the RRT is stored in thenon-volatile memory (NVM) 813. Accordingly, the broadcast receiver 801can always use the information associated with the RRT regardless ofwhether the power is ON or OFF.

Furthermore, since the non-volatile memory (NVM) 813 is being used, thetime required for reading the RRT can be reduced.

Meanwhile, depending upon the change in the field value of the “versionnumber” of RRT, the PSI/PSIP decoder 808 acknowledges the fact that theRRT has been updated and, then, deletes the old version RRT that isstored in the non-volatile memory (NVM) 813. Thereafter, the newlyupdated RRT is stored in the non-volatile memory (NVM) 813 in the placeof the deleted RRT. As the PSI/PSIP decoder 808 parses the PSI/PSIPsection, the RRT information that is included in the PSI/PSIP may alsobe parsed. Subsequently, the currently parsed RRT information and thepre-stored RRT information are transmitted to the application controller811.

At this point, based upon the currently parsed RRT information and thepre-stored RRT information, the application controller 811 decideswhether to block the broadcast program being transmitted from a channel,which is currently being received through the tuner 802. For example, ifthe application controller 811 decides that the broadcast program shouldbe blocked, the application controller 811 controls the display 806 anddoes not output the video/audio data of the broadcast program thatrequires to be blocked. In this case, the application controller 811 mayeither display a black screen through the display 806 or display awarning message indicating that the current broadcast program is blockedand, therefore, cannot be displayed.

As described above, in the digital television signal for receivingprogram and system information protocol (PSIP) data, the method forprocessing the digital television signal, and the digital televisionreceiver according to the present invention, the rating criteria ofbroadcast programs are diversified in order to provide a wider range ofconvenient options to the users. Furthermore, the present invention canset up rating criteria of broadcast programs regardless of thegeographical rating regions of the television receiver. Therefore, thedigital television receiver can be used normally (or without anyproblems) even when the country in which the television receiver islocated is changed.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. Thus, itis intended that the present invention covers the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of processing rating information in adigital receiver, the method comprising: receiving, by a receivingmodule, a program and a rating region table (RRT), the rating regiontable (RRT) comprising both a version number field and a rating regionfield, wherein the rating region field identifies at least one specificgeographical rating region to be associated with the RRT, the ratingregion field further identifies a dynamic RRT that is independent of theat least one specific geographical rating region; outputting, by acontroller, a first option identifying whether the dynamic RRT is to beselected or not; outputting, by the controller, a second optionidentifying at least one category of the dynamic RRT for selection ifthe dynamic RRT is selected according to the first option; outputting,by the controller, a third option identifying a blocking level forselection for the at least one category of the dynamic RRT identified inthe second option; and controlling, by the controller, the program usingthe second option and the third option if the dynamic RRT is to be used.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the specific geographical ratingregion corresponds to U.S. (United States) if the rating region fieldhas a value of 0x01, the specific geographical rating region correspondsto Canada if the rating region field has a value of 0x02, the specificgeographical rating region corresponds to Taiwan if the rating regionfield has a value of 0x03, and the specific geographical rating regioncorresponds to Korea if the rating region field has a value of 0x04. 3.The method of claim 2, wherein the dynamic RRT is identified if therating region field has a value of 0x05.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising: comparing, by the controller, the at least onecategory of the dynamic RRT selected at the second option and theblocking level selected at the third option with a rating of thebroadcast program; and determining, by the controller, on whether toblock the program from being displayed based on the comparison.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, further comprising: causing, by the controller, todisplay a warning message indicating that the program is blocked if thecontroller determines that the program is to be blocked based on thecomparison.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second option hasmultiple of selectable categories and third option has multiple ofselectable blocking levels.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein theblocking levels within the third option are changeable based on theselected category within the second option.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein the digital receiver corresponds to a digital television, adigital television receiver, or a set top box.
 9. A digital receiver forprocessing rating information, the digital receiver comprising: areceiving module configured to receive a program and a rating regiontable (RRT), the rating region table (RRT) comprising both a versionnumber field and a rating region field, wherein the rating region fieldidentifies at least one specific geographical rating region to beassociated with the RRT, the rating region field further identifies adynamic RRT that is independent of the at least one specificgeographical rating region; and a controller configured to output afirst option identifying whether the dynamic RRT is to be selected ornot, second option identifying at least one category of the dynamic RRTfor selection if the dynamic RRT is selected according to the firstoption, and third option identifying a blocking level for selection forthe at least one category of the dynamic RRT identified in the secondoption, wherein the controller causes at least the second option and thethird option to be displayed.
 10. The digital receiver of claim 9,wherein the specific geographical rating region corresponds to U.S.(United States) if the rating region field has a value of 0x01, thespecific geographical rating region corresponds to Canada if the ratingregion field has a value of 0x02, the specific geographical ratingregion corresponds to Taiwan if the rating region field has a value of0x03, and the specific geographical rating region corresponds to Koreaif the rating region field has a value of 0x04.
 11. The digital receiverof claim 10, wherein the dynamic RRT is identified if the rating regionfield has a value of 0x05.
 12. The digital receiver of claim 9, whereinthe controller compares the at least one category of the dynamic RRTselected at the second option and the blocking level selected at thethird option with a rating of the broadcast program, and causes theprogram to be blocked according to the result of comparison.
 13. Thedigital receiver of claim 12, wherein the controller causes a warningmessage to be displayed indicating that the program is blocked accordingto the result of comparison.
 14. The digital receiver of claim 9,wherein the second option has multiple of selectable categories andthird option has multiple of selectable blocking levels.
 15. The digitalreceiver of claim 14, wherein the blocking levels within the thirdoption are changeable based on the selected category within the secondoption.
 16. The digital receiver of claim 9, wherein the digitalreceiver corresponds to a digital television, digital televisionreceiver, or a set top box.